Tender Crumb has moved! Please head on over to my new home at http://atendercrumb.com

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Lenox Almond Biscotti w. Dried Blueberries (TWD)

It's that time of the week again, so you know it's time for a Tuesdays With Dorie sweet treat. This week's hostess is Gretchen at Canela & Comino , and she selected Lenox Almond Biscotti for this week's baking exercise. BTW, Gretchen writes often about Peruvian food on her blog, and it's really fun and interesting to read about Peru's cuisine and culture...check it out!

I've been curious to try Dorie Greenspan's biscotti recipes since I purchased the book, and now I have an opportunity to try them out! I think biscotti is the perfect cookie to bake and share, as it:

1.) has a pretty decent shelf life (a week +)2.) is sturdy and holds its shape3.) is the perfect vehicle for a variety of flavors and ingredients.

For these reasons, it's the perfect "pack & ship" cookie for family and friends who don't live close by.I've tried a wide variety of biscotti recipes, and have now narrowed my favorites down to two (which are both from epicurious.com): cranberry & pistachio and double chocolate walnut. I love both of these recipes as they are not overly sweet, crispy/crunchy in texture, easy and unfussy to bake, and loved by everyone who tries them! :)

"Lenox" in the recipe title refers to the NYC restaurant from where Dorie obtained this recipe. The recipe looks like your typical biscotti recipe, except for the unusual addition of cornmeal. I decided to make the recipe as written, and folded in 1/2 cup of dried wild blueberries (from Trader Joes) along with the almonds.So, what are my thoughts on the recipe? On the positive side, I liked the use of sliced almonds and I was pleasantly surprised by the crunchy texture that the cornmeal provided.

Speaking of slicing, I have a great tip to ensure pretty biscotti slices: when you take the cookie logs out after the first bake, spray the tops with H2O (or you can apply with a pastry brush) right before you slice them. This softens the top just enough, so the crust will not crumble when you cut into them, and you won't have jaggedy looking slices. Once they are baked a second time, the cookies will come out looking perfect and crunchy!

On the negative side, I had a couple of problems with the flavor and baking instructions. The cookies were too sweet for my taste (perhaps reducing the sugar to 2/3 cup would help) and the almond flavor was overwheming (next time, going to reduce the almond extract to 1/2 tsp). The baking times were also way off... the first baking time should have been much longer. The recipe calls for 15 minutes, but it took 30 minutes for my logs to bake through.

I'm going to try this recipe again, making the above adjustments. I don't think this will replace my go-to recipes, but I did find that the cornmeal provided and unexpected but enjoyable crunch and texture.

For the recipe, Gretchen has it on her site. To see how the other TWD bakers did, check out the blogroll.

they look great with the dried blueberries, which sound great with the cornmeal. i switched the almond extract to vanilla and it was great. i want to try that double chocolate walnut recipe you linked, too!

I promise... when I get to about 4 blogs away from yours... my brain starts itching, from wanting so bad to admire what you'll have to share with us.Never disapointed, nope... not on my watch! LOLBeautiful biscotti! Bravissimo!

Blueberry and almond sounds awesome! I think I'm the only person on the planet who didn't have undercooked biscotti--must have been because I halved the recipe. If I'd done the whole batch I think it would've been trouble.

I LOVE your idea to use the TJs wild blueberries! That is actually making me crave some cereal with them sprinkled in! Your biscotti look great - the almond flavor was quite strong but your adjustment to the amount of extract sounds perfect!

About Me

By day, I'm a corporate serf navigating the business jungle, but have sweet dreams of opening my own pastry shop. As I work on making my dream a reality, this blog provides me an outlet to share my passion for creating all things sweet (and some savory)!